Efio-Ita Nyok|29 March 2017
A veteran Nigerian journalist reporting for Vanguard Newspaper Limited has narrated what may be described as his awful experience at General Hospital, Calabar one of the public medical facilities in the state.
Journalist Emmanuel Unah took to his Facebook account yesterday and penned down his disappointment at the quality of service dished out by staff of the said medical institution. He titled his thread, 'Why Doctors should wear Name Tags'. First, Unah observed that it took an eternity of time before he could be attended to at the hospital; secondly, the doctor asked a similar question a nurse had previously asked which he had answered and penned down in a folder. Despite the fact that he reeled out his story for the second time, the physician proceeds to prescribed test perceived not to be related to the ailment: Unah after recently hitting his knee and sustening an injury was asked to carry out HIV, sugar level in blood, urine, malaria, and typhoid tests. Unah is looking for the relationship between these prescribed tests and the knee injury mechanically sustained.
Hear him out: 'In the past one week I have been experiencing a burning sensation around my knew and it looks swollen somewhat. So today, I decided to get to the General Hospital Calabar thinking I could get some help there.
'When I got there it took what seemed like eternity to see a doctor and when I saw one it turned out be an interesting experience. Hear him, “what is the matter with you” and I told him I had told the nurses my case which is contained in a folder before him. In any case I repeated what I told the nurses to him. “Is that all?”, he asked and I said yes. Without bothering to take a look at the knee he began to write down a list of tests for me: sugar level in blood, urine, malaria, typhoid and HIV tests.
'He went ahead and conducted the sugar level in blood test with his needle there and demanded for 1000 from me. He then instructed me to take the sheet of paper he wrote to “Aunty Vickie at the laboratory and should give it to no one else. I went to the lab and the Vickie demanded for another 3000 naira for the tests.
Reporter Unah summarises his quandary in the succeeding inquirying paragraph:
'I couldn’t understand what HIV, Malaria, Typhoid and sugar level have to do with a swollen knee even when I told him I struck it against a chair. I now understand why people die in drove in this ’em hospitals'.
Will someone help the confused ace journalist? I am as confused as him. Drop your comments below, please.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org
